Advancing ((Advance Industries #2))

by K A Duggsy

  Kye

  “I want a word with you. Now!”

  “I’m sure you do, but it will have to wait.”

  “Now Charlotte!” I yank her arm and pull her away from her adoring minions.

  “Where is Faith?”

  “That’s it? The all-important question you dragged me away to ask? You disappoint Kye.”

  “I’m not fucking playing. What were you playing at?”

  “I sent her away for you, for all of us. She is pregnant and you didn’t want her fighting. I didn’t want you to lose focus so I did what was needed.”

  “What did you get out of it?”

  “Those warm mushy feelings that good deeds bring.” She laughs and when she sees I’m nowhere near amused she continues, “Oh okay, I have a deal in place. She was wanted in return for it.”

  “By who?”

  “Does it matter? She’s safe, she has her sisters and I get what I want also, a pretty good deal all round, wouldn’t you agree?”

  “By. Who?” I grind out.

  “The man who was going to be my opponent but thanks to quick thinking on my part, the way is clear.”

  “Charlotte!”

  “Kye you’re so tense. Do you need some relief? I have time to fit you in.”

  “For once can you just quit with the games. Tell me who.”

  Trask appears at my side. “Fraser,” he says.

  “You knew she was meeting Fraser? If I hadn’t ...”

  “No, I didn’t, she never either. She just Commed me.”

  “Give it to me.”

  “I don’t know what all the fuss is. She still has her Comm to communicate with you because he doesn’t know I gave you two. He thinks she has no way of communicating. He doesn’t want to hurt her. In fact, once he finds out she’s pregnant I’m willing to bet he’ll send her back.”

  “He is as deluded as you. He doesn’t know what he wants.”

  “He wants her and I want to be President. It’s really quite simple. We both have what we want. What’s done is done. You’ll get over her.”

  Trask holds me back as I lunge forward. I shrug him off. Deception every way I turn. Can anyone be trusted anymore?

  “It’s nice to see you’ve been played for once Charlotte. I think it’s called karma.”

  “No one can outplay me. Don’t forget it.”

  “Oh but he has. He has no intention of handing over the presidency. Why do you think he wants Faith? He wants her with him when it’s announced.”

  I start to walk away but something clicks and I spin back to her. “They knew we were coming tonight. They were waiting for us. There’s no way they could have been prepared unless they were told and no one on my team would stab us in the back like that.”

  “That sounds very much like an accusation,” she purrs.

  “It is.”

  She walks up to me her face inches from mine and a look of sheer disgust curls her lips. “I don’t answer to you. I don’t do regret or apologies so if you’re expecting one, hell will freeze over first.” She pokes a finger in my chest. “Look around you. Look what we’ve accomplished. Can you even comprehend what we’ve achieved here tonight? You want me to feel bad about the way it came about? Well, fuck you. I did what had to be done, same as I always have and always will. Man the fuck up and stop whining about shit that has no relevance to the outcome.”

  “What did they do to you?”

  Her mask slips for a split second before she’s back to being unfeeling. She sneers at me. “Stop over analysing. It is what it is, there’s no hidden meaning, I’m upfront. My past with these shitheads has no relevance so back off.”

  “You’ve made a mistake Charlotte, a big fucking mistake. You’ll never be in charge of this city. He just told you what you wanted to hear. You handed him Faith when she was your best bet to bargain with. How’s it feel? Knowing your game backfired on you for once?” I walk off as I let that sink in and I read the Comm message as I walk.

  You were right Trask, she set me up.

  I’m with Fraser and I’m fine but I have to stay with him.

  Tell Kye, I’m sorry. I can’t explain via the Comm but this is the only way to get my sisters.

  Tell him I’ll be careful. I won’t risk myself or the baby.

  I know what I’m doing, tell him to trust me.

  I’ll check in again when I can.

  F x

  Stay with him? What the fuck. That’s not happening. She wants me to trust her though, she must have something up her sleeve. I replay the message over and over in my head as I busy myself with the clean-up, keeping my mind off the fact that she’s with him. Bodies and body parts litter the streets. Injured guards lay all around us, mainly the homeless guys who were called to join up, the ones we fought and hurt but didn’t kill. We spend hours lining them up, the most severe Saunders checks over before moving on to non-life threatening and so on. Charlotte’s medics help him and they make quick work of getting through them. They’ve been tied up because although no longer a threat we just don’t know what to do with them. Some have pleaded to return to their families, some remain quiet and others regard us with open hostility. Weapons have been collected and the shack dwellers have helped, giving us blankets, sheets and other items to lay over the dead bodies. They’ve made us drinks, provided food and considering they have so little they’ve been helpful. Thanking us for freeing them from this regime. It’s too early to say that but the hope they convey makes me determined to see it through. I won’t allow Charlotte or Fraser to be in power, they’d be just as bad as Johnson Franks if not worse. No one knows what I do though. Faith is next in line to lead. As Johnson’s flesh and blood the title automatically goes to her, I just need to find a way to make that happen. Is this the role she needs to fulfil? Possibly, if Jonah is right. I can’t think of any other reason for her staying in this time and she’d definitely do a better job than the two power hungry individuals fighting over it at the moment. Even Faith has no idea and as much as I want to put Charlotte in her place I can’t risk painting a massive target on Faith’s back. If they knew, they’d want her dead.

  Charlotte has been quietly plotting, mulling over what I told her and seeing her taken down a peg or two is fucking incredible.

  I need to talk through this and wander off in search of Jonah. He’ll know what to do.

  I find him talking to a shack dweller and lift my chin indicating I need to speak with him. He wanders over to me and starts following behind as I walk away. I need to find a quiet spot, Charlotte’s goons are all over the place and I can’t risk her finding out. I stop behind one of the shacks, fairly happy that this is the most privacy I’m going to find.

  I speak quietly, “Charlotte was working with Fraser. She handed him Faith…”

  I shake my head as he tries to interrupt, “I’ll explain later, the short version is Faith thought Charlotte was helping her find her sisters but it was a set up and she ended up meeting Fraser. He promised Charlotte she would face no opposition from him for the presidency if she helped him. That’s what she’s after. She wants to be in charge of the city.”

  “Fuck, man.”

  “Yeah I know. The thing is…” I dart my eyes around again making sure we’re still alone. “…Faith is next in line. She’s Johnson’s daughter.”

  “Holy shit.”

  “She doesn’t know, only me and now you do. I don’t know what to do. We both know Charlotte or Fraser being in power can’t happen but if it gets out who Faith is…” I leave the end of that sentence hanging in the air. He nods, knowing exactly what that means and how dangerous things will get for her.

  “You sure know how to pick them Kye,” he says, chuckling. Don’t I just. Nothing about Faith has ever been easy, right from the moment she landed in our lab gardens. She’s tested my patience at every turn but I wouldn’t want a run of the mill woman who was content enough to not challenge me, someone who didn’t cause the blood in my veins to catch fire.

  “
We need to pit them against one another and get Faith back.”

  “How? She seems to think she knows what she’s doing but I’m uneasy just waiting around.”

  “Can you prove she’s related to Johnson?”

  “No, I… He told me she was his, though. He used his sperm in the reproduce study.”

  “You think Arlen could access the files?”

  “Yeah but the fewer people who know about this the better.”

  “We’ve got fuck all without proof. Word of mouth won’t be accepted.”

  “Shit!” He’s right. He’s always fucking right.

  “Get the proof and I’ll figure out how to play this. You need to rein her in Kye, every time she pulls shit like this it puts us on the back foot,” he says.

  How can I argue? She repeatedly flees, leaving us to pick up the pieces. Her fight or flight response is a headache I don’t want to get into right now though so I nod and walk away.

  Faith

  I’m in Fraser’s home, actually it’s Johnson Franks home but Fraser has taken it over as he’s soon to be President. I’ve been given my own room but the door has been locked. I had to agree, what choice did I have? I thought about just stabbing him, slitting his throat while we were alone in the conference centre but then my sisters would still be hidden. I couldn’t have escaped the guards hiding outside and I want my sisters. I’ve sussed how I need to play this now. There’s something wrong with him, he has multiple personalities I think. Annoying him or treating him with contempt makes him worse so I’m going to behave. I’m going to pretend that I don’t hate him. That he has nothing to be sorry for. I’ll even pretend to fancy him if it helps. I’ll wear the stupid fancy clothes and the shoes he’s picked out. I’ll lay off the swearing. I’ll be his version of the perfect woman. The nicer I am to him the more he’ll believe I intend to stay and security will become lax. If I play nice my reward will be my sisters. My Comm buzzes and I hope it’s Trask replying and not bloody Charlotte.

  Be safe Sweetheart.

  I love you.

  I trust you.

  I’ll be waiting.

  K x

  I breathe a sigh of relief; he’s not coming for me. He’s okay. I’m guessing they won the fight in the streets if he’s replying so soon. This trust thing is really working for us. He’ll be waiting, for me? Or for my directions on how this plays out? Either way he’s not being all Kye like and going on a rampage. I smile at the thought, we’re not so dissimilar, we both take off on a whim, we’re both headstrong and stubborn. We’re both fiercely loyal and will do anything for the ones we love. I wonder if I should tell Fraser I’m pregnant but I know he won’t like that and I’ll never get any info from him.

  This place is on lock down, from what I saw on entering he has a number of guards here, none of who were carrying phasers but guns… I think anyway. They were different from the gun I saw the guard use in Kye’s time, bigger and if possible even more scary and intimidating.

  I wonder if Kye now knows that Charlotte set me up. I hope so. I hope he took out all his frustration with me on her. Evil bitch. I can’t lay all the blame with her though. Trask warned me she couldn’t be trusted but I was blinded by my need to believe and get to my sisters. How stupid am I? Of course she was playing me. I bet she’s loving the fact I’m out of the way and she can drape herself all over Kye. If I ever get a one to one with her again, no talking will be involved that time.

  I’m meant to be getting changed, Fraser is throwing some kind of celebratory event and I’m the guest of honour. What we’re celebrating I don’t know. Could be anything with him.

  My door unlocks and in walks a timid looking woman. She walks over to me, her head bowed like she can’t face looking at me.

  “I remember you,” I tell her and she looks up at me. It’s Franny, the scientist that helped Fraser the day he messed with my mind. She was there looking after me but helping him. I look at her again now she’s facing me and those eyes… they’re the same as Fraser’s son. So innocent looking, except hers are so earnest and awash with guilt.

  “Why are you still helping him? You know he’s wrong, deep inside. You’re not like him. Why?” I ask her.

  “The man you left with, you love him?” She asks.

  I frown and nod.

  “Would you stop loving him because you disagreed with some of his actions?”

  “No,” I answer quickly. I’ll always love him, it’s not something that can just be turned off. I disagree with him all the time, we’re rarely on the same page but I don’t love him any less.

  She smiles sweetly at me and I understand – she loves Fraser. However fucked up he is, she can overlook it because she loves him. It’s that simple.

  “But, how can you love him and stand by while he forces another woman to be with him?”

  “It’s what he wants. If it makes him happy I’ll swallow my feelings for his. It’s better to be around him than to walk away and not see him every day. Maybe one day he’ll notice me.” She shrugs like she knows what she’s saying is lame.

  “But… what if he doesn’t? You’re happy to just pine away over him instead of finding someone who does notice you and sees your worth?”

  “Love is funny, huh?”

  Yeah, or all these people Fraser is surrounded with are completely cockatoo.

  “Franny you have to think of your own happiness as well. You can’t seriously want me at his side? You know it’s not what I want. Can’t you help me. If I’m gone you have more chance of him noticing you, you can be his shoulder to cry on.”

  “You’re so pretty, Faith.”

  Whoa, I nearly got whiplash from the conversation change.

  “I’m plain, quiet. A man like that will never see the appeal in me.” She stares off wistfully.

  “Franny, if you won’t help me, can you just tell me something?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Are my sisters really okay?” I hold my breath, praying she’ll answer and be truthful but also hoping that she knows where they are.

  “They are. I see them every day. They miss you.”

  “You speak to them? Would you give them a message from me?”

  “It depends on what it is. He won’t like it.”

  “Don’t tell him, it’ll be our secret. Please, Franny, tell them I’ll be with them soon. I’m okay and I’m doing everything I can to reunite with them. Can you do that for me?”

  Chapter 20

  Fraser

  Tonight we celebrate. Tomorrow I will be President. The announcement will be made and then we’ll celebrate again. It’s had to be moved forward to thwart Charlotte, the quicker this takes place the less chance she has of stopping it. If I’m unprepared for tomorrow, then she definitely won’t have time to rally troops or end it before its even begun.

  It’s late and from the reports, I know that many of my guards were wiped out. Unfortunate losses but they knew what they signed up for. They signed up willingly and they shall be remembered, not by me but I’m sure others will feel their loss and their memory will live on through them.

  I’m waiting for Franny to return with the guest of honour. The lovely Faith. If she behaves herself tonight I will reward her. She came around with less persuasion than I expected. I saw her eyes light up when we entered my home. Women are the same, they don’t really know what they want until you present it to them.

  I should probably be more worried about the dwindling number of my guards but after I dazzle with my speech tomorrow, they’ll be queuing up to serve and protect. I will allow off-grid to return to the city. That will be my big unveiling and a kick in the teeth to Charlotte at the same time. Her followers will drop her so fast once they realise the luxury they can live in here, the wages they can earn and the comfort they’ve been missing out on will be lavished on them – to start with. Once they are comfortable, with a taste for the finer things and they have pledged their loyalty to me they’ll be demoted to basics again.

  I dismiss the gu
ards and other hangers-on. I request the champagne be left. This will be a private celebration, a celebration for two. She chose to come with me. I’m going to give her a little taste of what her life could really be like. Tonight is about us.

  I look up as the door opens and she trails in behind Franny. She swishes forward in the floor length royal blue gown I picked out for her. The colour offsetting her ocean eyes perfectly. Yes, she’ll do nicely. Royal blue is our company colour and she wears it so well. She smiles at me as she enters and I’m thrown momentarily. I expected a scowl. I smile back and relax. I can see now that she’s happy to be here.

  “Thank you, Franny, you can leave,” I dismiss her without taking my eyes off Faith. I’m not sure I’ve ever witnessed her smiling so openly at me. It’s mind blowing how her smile can make me lose all words. We stare at each other until she moves forward and asks, “Is it okay to sit beside you?”

  I swallow quickly and nod. Yes, it’s okay, the closer the better. I offer her a glass of champagne that had already been poured and she takes a sip making a noise of appreciation that zings through me.

  “What are you doing?” She asks. Is she interested in my work? I thought I’d need to give her a settling in period before involving her.

  I clear my throat. I haven’t said a word since she walked in. I’m showing myself up. I haven’t been this flustered and nervous around a female since I was a teenager.

  “You look very beautiful, Faith.”

  She smiles again. “Thank you. I love this dress. It must be really expensive.”

  “You’re worth every penny.”

  Her smile falters and she looks back to my work on the table. “So, what are you doing?”

  “I’m meant to be writing my speech for the press conference. My presidency will be announced tomorrow and the media will want a speech. I’m struggling to find the right words…”

  “The election is tomorrow?” She asks shocked.

  “It’s had to be moved forward regrettably which doesn’t leave us with much time to prepare.”